Rejoice if you believe!
Acts 13:48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed.
It’s “funny” sometimes how you see God working studying scripture. I have been studying Paul’s first missionary journey; how he preached with power from the Old Testament; fulfilled prophecies with the Good News of Jesus Christ. I ended up studying the first two Psalms, and in the middle of that study was how God laughed at our plans. The rulers were plotting against those of the faith; how they were going to overpower them; in the text they were even plotting against God, for they understood the union that they had. Psalm 2:3 “Let us break Their bonds in pieces And cast away Their cords from us.” 4 He who sits in the heavens shall laugh; The Lord shall hold them in derision. I cannot help but think of that timeless expression, “If you want to hear God laugh, tell him your plans.”
Our little minds cannot understand the infinite complexities intertwined with Free Will and God’s sovereign design and control of the universe. We cannot understand how we can have the ability to float along through life wandering around his design for our life. We cannot clearly explain the most complicated doctrines in the Bible such as predestination and election. How big would our God be if we did understand these things? How big would our God be if he allowed us to understand them? Would we not puff our chest out in pride and slip into the root of all sin in that conceit? He is guarding our minds through his sovereign control. You must only have the faith to accept that.
When Paul was preaching to the Gentiles and the Jews at Antioch, only some believed. Many of the Jews spread dissension and plotted against Paul and Barnabas. Later in their journey they even stoned Paul and left him for dead outside the city; but he rose by the power of God and continued to preach the power of God and salvation found through the gospel of Jesus Christ. The Gentiles had begged for Paul to preach this good news to them; they were hungry to hear the word of God. Acts 13:48 Now when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and glorified the word of the Lord. And as many as had been appointed to eternal life believed. 49 And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region. If you claim to believe in Jesus, in salvation only found in Jesus, then simply rejoice that saving faith has come to you by the grace of God. If you have an inquiring heart, but don’t yet know him, repent and believe and rejoice! That is God pursuing YOU!
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